Sergey Karasev got the word he would be starting for the first time as a Net back on Dec. 10. Naturally, it was what he wanted. And naturally it scared the daylights out of him.
"I was shaking a little bit before the game," Karasev said after practice Thursday, recalling how he wanted to "put all my energy on the court and just do what I can do, try nothing special.
"I told myself I should just play my game, try to be aggressive on defense and smart on offense," Karasev said. "I just did those things and after first couple minutes all the pressure was gone."
So the 21-year-old wing, the youngest Net (at 18 for bronze medalist Russia, the youngest basketball player in the 2012 Olympics), will start for the 12th time when the Nets try to reach .500 on Friday in Orlando, Fla. The 15-16 Nets last saw .500 at 4-4 in mid-November — when Karasev was hoping for his chance.
In early December, the Nets were struggling as a team. Bojan Bogdanovic as an individual was struggling. Coach Lionel Hollins started Karasev — whom ownership (connect your Russian dots) had hoped to draft in 2013. Since then, Karasev has been a regular starting fixture, except for one injury-related game.
In his 11 starts, the Nets are 7-4 and Karasev has averaged 8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 turnovers and shot .405 (.323 on 3s). OK, not numbers to warrant Springfield, but he's 21 and still developing after a brutal rookie year in Cleveland.
"It was really hard, especially when you're a European player and you come here. You have big minutes overseas and play like 30-35 minutes a game, you're a main presence," said Karasev who played 22 games last season with the Cavs, who drafted him No. 19 and then used him for 17 minutes, 40 seconds in their final 45 games. "It's very tough mentally."
But Karasev kept telling himself, work hard in practice, wait for a chance.
His biggest chance came when the Cavs dumped salary to sign LeBron James. Karasev and Jarrett Jack came to the Nets.
"This is a long season, 82 games you should be ready every time you put the Brooklyn Nets jersey on. This is every tough league. Injuries, anything can happen," Karasev said.
Finally a starting call happened.
"Sergey has a really good feel for the game. He knows how to play," Deron Williams said. "He plays well off the ball, can pass, knows when to cut, works hard. He's really surprised me a lot, how far he's come since training camp. He was really — I don't want to say timid but … not aggressive and now he's being aggressive. He's playing great."
Hollins was asked what he has seen in Karasev.
"He's shown me that he's 6-7 and he's from Russia," Hollins said.
Add an inch and that could be Mikhail Prokhorov.
"I see a kid that is a good basketball player. He's got good length and he doesn't just stand on the 3-point line. [He] makes plays and he's been playing pretty good. I like his anticipation on defense," Hollins said. "He's a good basketball player, he makes plays, anticipates. … He'll go get a steal, he'll go get a rebound. When it looks like they're gonna get it all of a sudden he's getting that rebound. Those are the types of little things that help you win."
All that is what Karasev hopes to provide. He wants only to be a part of winning, to continually grow. He got his chance. Now he wants to keep contributing in any way, much like his idol, another lefty: San Antonio's Manu Ginobili.
"He's my favorite player. When he came here, I can't say he was a big star. But because of his work he became one of the main guys in San Antonio, one of the three who win a lot of championships. He's just a high IQ basketball player who every time plays hard," Karasev said. "That is the way. Every day you should improve everything."
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